Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. announced late Sunday that he had accepted the Virgin Islands Public Officials Compensation Commission’s (VIPOCC) recommendations to increase salaries for the governor, lieutenant governor, and other top officials. The announcement came through a press release sent at 8:40 p.m., days after the raises took effect on Jan. 1, 2025.
The VIPOCC report, submitted to the governor and the Legislature in August 2024, though never publicly announced by the Commission, outlined that public officials’ salaries had not been adjusted since 2006, leading to significant disparities when compared to other U.S. jurisdictions and private sector roles. According to the Commission, the adjustments — totaling about $349,000 — were necessary to reflect the scope of responsibilities, attract skilled professionals, and align compensation with the financial realities of the territory.
The Commission, established under Act No. 7878, sponsored by former Sen. Positive Nelson, and amended by Act No. 8384 in October 2020, is tasked with evaluating public officials’ salaries. The amendment required the first report by May 30, 2022, which senators contacted by the Source Sunday night said was not submitted. It also included a provision that recommendations would be automatically approved if the Legislature failed to act within 90 days – modified by Sen. Janelle Sarauw from 180 days – of submission. Delays in funding and contracting for the independent compensation study pushed the completion of the report beyond its initial deadline, according to the Commission.
Appointed in November 2021, the Commission began its work by establishing a plan to evaluate and recommend salary adjustments for public officials, according to its report. The Commission initially held biweekly planning meetings and developed a framework that included reviewing recent studies, existing compensation levels, and national benchmarks. A Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued to secure an independent human resources firm to conduct a comprehensive compensation study.
The consulting firm Gallagher was selected to carry out the study, but the Commission reported that delays in the procurement process pushed back the report’s completion. The final recommendations are based on Gallagher’s findings, additional research conducted by the Commission, and an analysis of the territory’s financial realities. The report states that interviews with officials from all three branches of government informed its recommendations, which aim to “address the gaps in compensation while ensuring fiscal responsibility”:
- Governor’s Salary: Recommended increase from $150,000 to $192,088, reflecting a 21.9 percent adjustment.
- Lieutenant Governor’s Salary: Recommended increase from $125,000 to $168,231, a 25.7 percent adjustment.
- Cabinet Members: Salaries were recommended to increase to a range between $105,000 and $135,000, depending on the department’s scope and complexity, to align with comparable roles in other U.S. jurisdictions.
- Senators: Proposed salary adjustments would increase legislative salaries from $85,000 to $95,000 annually, reflecting their dual roles as legislators and representatives of a multi-island territory.
As part of its work with the Commission, Gallagher identified 35 peer organizations to benchmark salaries for public officials in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The list included U.S. jurisdictions such as Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; Fulton County, Georgia; and Fairfax County, Virginia, as well as regional locations like the Bahamas and Barbados. These organizations were chosen for their similarities in government structure, demographics or geographic characteristics, according to the report.
Gallagher sent a custom survey to these organizations, requesting detailed salary and job-specific data. However, only the District of Columbia responded.
To fill the gaps, Gallagher relied on data mining to collect compensation information from the remaining 34 organizations. Despite the limited survey participation, Gallagher used the mined data to make market comparisons for similar roles within the Government of the Virgin Islands (GVI).
Further, the Commission developed its proposed salary recommendations based on its fourth compensation guideline, which states that pay should exceed a living wage and be at least 25 percent above the recommended minimum salary for positions included in the study. Salaries are further adjusted to fall within the mid-to-upper range, reflecting the responsibilities and rank of the roles.
Although the report was submitted in August 2024, neither its recommendations nor the implementation of the raises were disclosed to the public until Sunday. Speaking with the Source on Sunday night, Sen. Donna Frett-Gregory, former chair of the Senate Finance, Appropriations, and Budget Committee, said she had not been made aware that the Legislature had received the report, nor had she seen it during summer 2024 budget hearings. Incoming Senate President Milton Potter echoed these concerns Sunday, stating he was unaware of the raises and would need to read the report in detail before determining whether the law could be amended again to reflect a change in date for late submittal, or approval by the Legislature, as the report appears to have gone unseen by lawmakers.
The Source has not yet verified whether any of the reported salaries align with the government’s existing pay structure or if Notices of Personnel Action have been issued.
In his statement, Bryan defended the decision to accept the recommendations, citing the structured process behind them. “Our public officials serve critical roles in governing a territory with unique challenges and responsibilities,” he said. “The adjustments outlined in this report aim to ensure that public service remains a viable option for attracting and retaining skilled professionals while maintaining fairness and fiscal responsibility.”
Bryan also pointed to Act No. 8384, which states that if the Legislature does not act on the Commission’s report within 90 days, the recommendations are automatically approved. The governor further noted that public officials’ salaries had remained stagnant for nearly two decades, making the adjustments overdue.
In addition to recommending salary adjustments for public officials, the Commission also outlined a series of policies aimed, according to the report, at ensuring fair pay, consistent evaluations, and market competitiveness:
- Cost-of-Living Adjustments: Public officials should receive annual or bi-annual pay increases of 2-3 percent, based on favorable performance evaluations.
- New Hire Pay Progression: New hires who need additional training should start at the minimum salary range and progress to the midpoint within one to two years.
- Additional Compensation for Responsibilities: Officials with relevant certifications, extensive experience, or responsibilities overseeing large budgets or departments should receive up to a 5 percent pay increase.
- Governor and Lieutenant Governor Pay: Salaries should increase every eight years in line with the average Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, capped at 5 percent.
- Senator Longevity Bonus: Senators who serve four or more terms would receive a 5 percent annual increase on their base salary.
- Judicial Salaries: Pay adjustments for judges should follow national standards set by the Center for State Courts, with increases capped at 5 percent annually or bi-annually.
- Performance Accountability: Officials who fail to meet job expectations should be placed on an improvement plan and terminated if no progress is made.
- Alignment with Staff Pay Recommendations: VIPOCC emphasized that public official pay adjustments should align with similar recommendations for rank-and-file employees from the 2021-2022 GVI Compensation Study.
- Regular Pay Reviews: Conduct compensation studies every four to five years to stay competitive and retain skilled employees.
- Minimum and Maximum Pay Limits: No employee should earn below the minimum or above the maximum set by the new pay structure, except in cases with documented justification approved by the Governor.
- Locality Pay Framework: Develop a plan to factor in geographic considerations for public officials’ pay while accounting for the Territory’s financial situation.
- Exempt Staff Pay Structure: Create a clear system for setting salaries for exempt staff to ensure consistency and fairness.
- Salary Progression Model: Implement a standardized model for determining and advancing salaries for public officials.
In his biweekly column, Langley Shazor speaks to issues important to men within the territory.
